Manufacture of incandescent lamps



Nov. 9,1926. 1,606,312 H. DE F. MADDEN El AL MMLUFACTURE 0F INCANDESCENT LAMPS Filed March 1922 INVENTORS HARRY D. MADDEN.

JOHN d- HIG=C1INS- ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 9," 1926.

UNITED STATES- ]IARBY DEFOREST MADDEN, OF NEWARK, AND JOHN JOSEPH HIGGINS, OF EAST PATENT OFFICE.

ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOBS TO WESTINGHOUSE LAMP COMPANY, A 003- PORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

mnnurac'rnnn or nwmpnscnn'r LAMPS.

Application filed March 25, 1922. Serial No. 546,642.

This invention relates to incandescent lamps and their manufactureand more particularly to mounts for tipped or tipless lamps.

An object of our invention is the provision of a method for the-manufacture of incandescent lamps whereby the operations to be performed may be made more nearly automatio, thereby increasing production and cheapening the cost thereof.

Another object of our invention is the 1 formation of a mount in which the leadingin wires are utilized to accomplish the function of an arbor, as at present employed in standard lamp practice.

A further object of our invention is the provision of a mount of few parts, constructed to withstand rough handling and to be more resilient because of the utiliza-.

tion of more flexible parts.

The ordinary mount, as at present constructed, com rises a flare, an exhaust tube, if designed or a tipless lamp, leading-in wires sealed therebetween and a glass arbor extending from the press or, if of pressless construction, from the junction between the flare, exhaust tube and leading-in wires. The filament is supported from the arbor on the usual metallic hooks. arbor entails the disadvantages of having an additional piece of lass to handle, of usuall requiring a mac 'ne to place buttons t ereon and of one to insert the usual wire hooks therein. When a mountis niade with the usual glass arbor provided with wire hook supports, the leading-in wires are connected directly to the ends of the filament and that is all the support they give thereto.

By our invention-the glass arbor is dispensed with and the leading-in'wires extended beyond the press for a distance ap proximately corresponding to the length of a glass arbor. Suitable holding means, such as coils orcrimpings, are provided at points on the leading-1n wires corresponding to the location of the usual buttons, and plates or The use of an winding of the filament before the lead-in are not subject to breakage like lass arbors.

Then, the usual metallic hooks for supporting the filament arereplaced by less dellcate and more easily handled plates or discs of mica or other suitable refractory insulating material. By means of these improvements, production is facilitated and many operations now being performed in semi-automatic machines may be made fully auto.- matic. These operations comprise, lead forming, inserting discs in same and winding filament. The holding coils are formed close enough to firmly clamp the mica plates between their elements so that, when the leading-in wires and plates with the filament wound thereon are assembled, they may be handled as a unit, even before consolidation with the flare. This makes possible the wires are fused in the flare, an operation heretofore impossible. Automatic winding is made practicable by the elimination of the very easily bent metallic hooks for fila-.

ment supports, heretofore used. Additional advantages comprise the elimination of arbor-making machines, no arbor being required, and the doing away with inserting machines, as no wire hook supports are used. The micaplates act as bafies to prevent overheating of the bulb if used in a as-filled lamp.

ther objects and advanta es of the invention will be apparent as t e description proceeds. Preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which, I

' lamp; and

Fig. 1 is an end view of a mount for an incandescent electric lamp embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line TIL-III of Fig. 2, on a larger scale, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a partial side elevation showing a modification;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the complete Fig. 6 shows a modified form of filamentsupporting disc.

The invention, as illustrated, is applied to a mount for a tipless lamp. It would be appropriately represented for a tipped lamp by merely omitting the contractlon or exhaust tube and the small hole in the flare near the connection between the flare and the leading-in. wires.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, the flare 1 is shown combined with an exhaust tube 2. The usual hole from the exhaust tube, through the flare, is represented by 3. Leading-in wires 4., 1Epreferably of dumet, which is a standard orm of wire for such purpose, preferably formed. as a core of nickel-stee surrounded by a sheath of copper, are shown extending to the stem press 5 from below the flange of the flare. The dumet wires 4 may be extended beyondthe. press 5 if made sufficiently strong, but it s considered preferable to make such extensions 6 of stiffer wire composed of nickel or other metal not containing occluded gases. Preferably, two complete coils or helices 7 are formed in each of the nickel extensions of the leading-in wires 6, between which the bottom filament support, preferably comprising a plate or disc 8 of mica or other refractor insulating material, is held.

he nickel leads are further extended and formed with similar helices 9, between which the top filament support 11 extends. This support is constructed of a material slmilar to that of the disc 8 but is shaped slightly difierent, as will be noted by comparison of Figs. 1 and 3.

The nickel leads 6 are extended, preferably at right angles to their main portions and parallel to each other from the last or topmost coil, and connected to the filament 12 at 13. See Fig. 1.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 3, it will be seen that the lower disc 8 is provided with individual filament supports 14, preferably in the form of outstanding or radial cleats. The individual supports 15 on the upper disc 11 are similarly formed but spaced midway between the angular positions of the individual supports 14, corresponding to the usual arrangement when metallic hooks are employed. One less cleat is employed on support 11 than on support 8 for the reason that the ends of the nickel leads, shown connected to the filament, take the place of one cleat 15.

The filament is wound on the spider thus formed from its connection with one of the operation is continued until all the cleats are each supporting a portion of the filament. The free end of the filament is then connected, at 13, to the other nickel lead.

The mica supports 8 and 11 are each provided with spaced apertures 16 and 17, with the nickel leads extending therethrough. The-coils 7 and 9 hold the discs in place. Instead of two apertures in each disc, one elongated aperture 21 through which both leads extend, may be employed, within the scope of the present invention. See Fig 6. Any other suitable means may be employed for holding the mica discs in position on the nickel leads.

In making a mount embodying the present invention, the flare, the contraction tube, if used, and the leading-in wires are placed in a stem-making machine and, after applying heat, are consolidated in a well known manner. WVires of the same formation throughout or compound wires comprising dumet leads with heavier nickel extensions,

such as illustrated in the drawing, may be used. The extensions are then bent to provide the coils for holding the mica; which are then put in position. The ends of the leading-in wires are turned at right angles, as shown, and trimmed to length, if necessary, thereby completing the spider. The filament is connected and wound on this spider as heretofore described, thus forming a complete mount.

Fig. 4; is a partial side elevation of a mount constructed similarly to that shown in Figs.

1 to 3, inclusive, except that the flare 1,

and the exhaust tube 2 are consolidated with the leading-in wires 4 by a method described and claimed in a copending application of J J. Higgins, Serial No. 546,67 9, filed March 25, 1922, and assigned to the Westinghouse Lamp Company.

This method consists essentially in uniting the flare, the exhaust tube, if used, and the leading-in wires by the external application of heat and the internal application of air pressure, thereby causing consolidation of the parts by the surface tension of the glass, when in a softened state assisted by the pressure of the gas fires, if such are used, act- "ing against the air pressure on the inside of the exhaust tube. In this modification, there is no press, as generally understood, and no hole 3, as in Fig. 2. The press is replaced by a junction between the parts formed entirely by fluid means. The mount formed is distinctive in that this junction is oval or circular in section instead of being flat or elongated, as when formed by mechanical pressing. The air is exhausted through the -3 is replaced by the open inner end 18 of the exhaust tube. Except for these variations, this modification may be identical with that illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, or may have leading-in wires consisting entirely of dumet or other suitable wire.

Fig. 5 shows the complete lamp formed with a mount constructed according to our invention. After forming the mount as heretofore described, the same is sealed in the bulb '19 by any well known means. The bulb is then exhausted or the air therein replaced by an inert gas, by means of the exhaust tube 2. After sealing off, a base 20 is applied in any suitable manner.

By means of the 'present invention, the incandescent filament is supported by refractory insulating plates or discs, which, being poorer heat conductors than the usual wire hook supports, will not dissipate the heat of the filament as rapidly from the points of contact therewith. A mount is provided according'to this invention which is cheaper to manufacture, more rugged in construction and composed of fewer parts than the standard types now on the'market. In a gas-filled lamp, the mica plates act as bafies to prevent undue heating of the bulb and base.

While we have illustrated what we now consider to be the referred embodiment of our invention, it is to be understood that many changes may be effected therein and that our invention is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is: v

1. The method of making spiders for incandescent lamps comprising the fusing of leading-in ,wires in a flare, shaping said wires and supporting mica discs on the shaped portions of said wires.

2. The method of making spiders for electric lamps comprising sealing leading-in wires in a flare, coiling the wires and supporting refractory insulating. plates there p 3. The method of making mounts for incondescent lamps comprising the fusing of leading-in wires in a flare, shaping said wires to form supporting means, supporting mica discs having extensions thereon and winding a filament on said extensions of the discs.

4. The method of making mounts comprising the insertion of lengthened leadingin wires in a flare, coiling the same to form supporting means, attaching a refractory insulating support and winding a filament from the end'of one wire around the support to the end of the other wire.

V 5. The method of constructing mounts for electric lamps comprising sealing leading-in wires in a flare, bending the wires, snpporting mica discs at the bends and attaching a filament thereto.

6. The method of making incandescent lamps comprising providing leading-in wires with supporting elements, attaching refractory insulating lates thereto by means of said elements, win ing a filament on elements of the plates and consolidating the leading-in wirs in a flare to form a mount.

7. The method of making incandescent lamps comprising shaping extended leadingin wires to provide them with clamping elements, supporting suitable plates between the wires by said elements, winding a filament on said plates and consolidating the structure so formed with a flare to form a mount.

8. A filament support for incandescent lamps comprising perforated mica discs with integral outstanding projections and a pair of leadin -in conductors disposed in spaced relation and passing through said discs, and means associated with said leading-in conductors for holding said discs in given positions for the disposition of a filament upon the outstanding projections.

9. An article of manufacture comprising a plate of refractory insulating material with integral outstanding holding elements, a pair of leading-in wires spaced apart by a portion of said plate andvsecured thereto to hold the plate for the disposition of a filament on said projections.

10. An arborless spider comprising a flare and extended leading-in wires supporting thereon refractory insulating plates formed with integral means adapted to di-. rectly support a filament.

'11. An arborless spider comprising a flare and extended leading-in wires coiled and mica plates supported at the coils.

12. A spider for incandescent lamps comprising a flare, leading-in wires comprising dumet with nickel extensions embedded in said flare, said extensions being formed with supporting means and mica plates suported thereon.

13. A filament mount comprising a flare, leading-in wires sealed therein and supporting a plurality of refractory discs disposed in parallel planes having individual holding means thereon and an incandescent filament supported directly by said means.

14. An arborless mount comprising a flare, extended leading-in wires bent to form supports, mica plates su' ported thereon and provided with indivi ual filament-holding elements and a filament supported by elements of the mica lates.

15. A mount for incandescent lamps comprisinga flare, leading-in wires com risin dumet with nickel extensions being orme with supporting means and refractory insulating plates having filament cleats sup- I prising a bulb, a

- to be supported on the cleats.

16. An incandescent electric lamp combulb comprising base, a mount Withinsaid leadlng-in wires extending longitudinally of the axis of the bulb insulating plates atta disposed transverse ohed to said Wires and to the said axis of the bulb to serve as bafiles and means at the perimeter of said plates to receivea fila- 10 ment. 7

In testimony whereof, We have hereunto subscribed our names this 24th day of March 1922.

HARRY DEFOREST MADDEN. JOHN JOSEPH HIGGINS. 

